A site immediately beside the Ashtown gates to the Phoenix Park in Dublin must be one of the most prized locations in west Dublin for a new housing development. For that reason alone, the selling agents are expecting an early sell out of Ardmore Building Company's latest housing scheme when it goes on sale for the first time today.
All 60 houses on the 5.5-acre site will be for sale in this first phase of the Belleville scheme. On offer will be a variety of two, three and four-bedroom houses, all with an additional large attic room that could be used as guest accommodation or a home office.
A small development of two-storey apartments will be released at a later date, according to joint selling agents O'Mahony Auctioneers and McPeake Auctioneers.
Prices range from £180,000 for a 1,020 sq ft two-bedroom mid-terraced house to £247,500 for the largest house, a four-bedroom semi-detached house measuring 1,560 sq ft.
Because of the scarcity of land in this prime location, back gardens are compact and there are cobblelock parking bays in place of traditional front gardens. On the plus side, residents will be able to go out of the electrically-operated gates and straight into the park with its endless walks.
Developers Eugene Larkin and Chris Glynn of Ardmore Building Company have established a reputation for quality developments. Mariner's Cove in Howth, High Park and The Cloisters on Grace Park Road and Woodberry in Castleknock are among their best-known schemes. Exteriors at Belleville are of antique-style brick and pebble dash with granite sills. Architect Frank Elmes has used overhanging tiled porches, curved and square bays and diamond-paned windows to create an attractive "gingerbread house" effect.
Pathways and parking bays to the front are cobblelocked and old-style iron and copper street lamps blend with the black iron railings surrounding the development.
The smallest house, the Wellington at 1,020 sq ft, costs £180,00 and is a two-bedroom mid-terraced unit ideal for young professionals or retired couples looking for low-maintenance accommodation. There is a hallway with a storage cupboard and guest cloakroom. An oak fitted kitchen is at the front of the house - compact, but with enough room to breakfast in.
To the rear of the house is a good-sized sittingroom which has space for a dining table. Double glazed doors lead to the back garden. The boiler room. which doubles as a utility store, is plumbed for a washing machine and has room for a small drying line.
There are two double bedrooms and a family bathroom on the first floor. Both rooms have fitted wardrobes and the main bedroom has an en suite shower. A bright attic room on the next level runs the length of the house and has a storage cupboard. Two large Velux windows, one almost at floor level, gives this room an abundance of natural light.
The Glen is a three-bedroom house with 1,260 sq ft and is available in either mid-terrace at £195,000 or end-of-terrace at £205,000. A wider house, this style has a good-sized kitchen with a bay window and oak cupboards. There is a guest cloakroom and storage cupboard under the stairs and a spacious sitting/diningroom with doors to the garden.
In this house type, the dining area can, should the purchaser require, be incorporated with the kitchen, leaving a separate sittingroom. There is an outside utility store and a larger garden. Upstairs, there are two double and one single bedroom and a family bathroom. All bedrooms have fitted wardrobes.
The attic room on the top floor is very spacious and there is a separate walk-in cupboard on the landing suitable for extra wardrobe space. Bathroom fittings in all the houses are of high quality, with gold-plated taps and a power shower as standard. There are just eight of the Park design, which have four bedrooms and are on larger plots. These measure 1,560 sq ft including the attic room and are priced at £240,000 for an end-of-terrace house and £247,000 for the semidetached version.
Here, the sittingroom is at the front of the house, with a curved bay window. The hallway winds through the centre of the house and there is a guest cloakroom and storage cupboard off. A separate diningroom is at the rear, with glass doors to the garden. There is a large kitchen/ breakfastroom with oak cupboards and a utility room. A door leads from the kitchen to the back garden.
There are three double and one single bedrooms on the first floor, all with fitted wardrobes. The main room is en suite and there is a family bathroom. The attic room in this house is particularly large and there is a roomy cupboard on the top landing.
The grounds of Belleville, formerly part of a farm belonging to the Hendron family, are imaginatively landscaped with heathers, silver birch and evergreen ground cover. There are open spaces bordering the site, although residents will probably prefer to use the park for recreation.
It is difficult to guess what kind of buyer will be in the majority when Belleville goes on view. The houses with their brick exteriors, PVC windows and soffits and open-plan landscaping are virtually maintenance free and would ideally suit couples wanting to be close to both work and the amenities of the Phoenix Park.
On the other hand, the bedroom accommodation is ample for a small family and children will love the big attic room. Investors will undoubtedly be attracted by the guaranteed returns of such a prestigious address.
